Miguel Cotto gets taped up as he works out at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood on Tuesday. Cotto will be fighting Sadam Ali on Saturday in New York in Cotto’s final bout of his career. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Nov 20,2017. Hollywood. CA. Doing his last SoCal media day workout Miguel Cotto , Four Division, Six-Time World Champion, and Current WBO Jr. Middleweight World Champion works out at the Wild Card gym Monday. Miguel Cotto will be fighting Sadam Ali on December 2nd at Madison Square Garden arena and will be televised live on HBO as Miguel Cotto will be retiring. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Nov 20,2017. Hollywood. CA. Doing his last SoCal media day workout Miguel Cotto works out with his trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card gym Monday. Miguel Cotto will be fighting Sadam Ali on December 2nd at Madison Square Garden arena and will be televised live on HBO as Miguel Cotto will be retiring from boxing. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

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Nov 20,2017. Hollywood. CA. Doing his last SoCal media day workout Miguel Cotto , Four Division, Six-Time World Champion, and Current WBO Jr. Middleweight World Champion works out at the Wild Card gym Monday. Miguel Cotto will be fighting Sadam Ali on December 2nd at Madison Square Garden arena and will be televised live on HBO as Miguel Cotto will be retiring. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Nov 20,2017. Hollywood. CA. Doing his last SoCal media day workout Miguel Cotto , Four Division, Six-Time World Champion, and Current WBO Jr. Middleweight World Champion works out at the Wild Card gym Monday. Miguel Cotto will be fighting Sadam Ali on December 2nd at Madison Square Garden arena and will be televised live on HBO as Miguel Cotto will be retiring. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Nov 20,2017. Hollywood. CA. Doing his last SoCal media day workout Miguel Cotto , Four Division, Six-Time World Champion, and Current WBO Jr. Middleweight World Champion works out at the Wild Card gym Monday. Miguel Cotto will be fighting Sadam Ali on December 2nd at Madison Square Garden arena and will be televised live on HBO as Miguel Cotto will be retiring. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Nov 20,2017. Hollywood. CA. Doing his last SoCal media day workout Miguel Cotto , Four Division, Six-Time World Champion, and Current WBO Jr. Middleweight World Champion works out at the Wild Card gym Monday. Miguel Cotto will be fighting Sadam Ali on December 2nd at Madison Square Garden arena and will be televised live on HBO as Miguel Cotto will be retiring. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Miguel Cotto was in his native Puerto Rico when, on Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria struck the island with what turned out to be catastrophic force.

“It was the worst disaster I ever saw in Puerto Rico in my 37 years,” he said.

A month later, Cotto left for Hollywood to begin the final training camp of his terrific 17-year career, one that will one day land him in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. His opponent will be Brooklyn’s Sadam Ali (25-1, 14 KOs) and the venue is a familiar one – Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Cotto has already fought nine times.

They will tangle for Cotto’s junior middleweight title on Dec. 2 televised by HBO.

Cotto worked out for reporters Tuesday at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and talked about his beloved Puerto Rico, as well as the sport that has made it possible for him to give his family a wonderful life.

When he turned pro in 2001 at age 20, he said he had one thing in mind: “To be the best provider for my house,” he said.

Mission accomplished.

“I have solid economy and I can provide whatever my family wants, whatever my kids want to study,” said Cotto, who has four children. “And I’m sure it is time for me to be close to home and be with them at every moment; I’m just going to enjoy my life with them.”

Like any top-tier fighter, Cotto has had to spend a lot of time away from his loved ones. It was easy to see in his eyes he hasn’t been crazy about that part of the game.

“I’m here because of my family, and I’m saying good-bye because of them, too,” he said.

Cotto has so much for which to be proud. Not only has he made enough money to be an outstanding provider, his accomplishments in the ring are through the roof. He is 41-5 with 33 knockouts. He has won world titles in the junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight divisions.

When Cotto beat Sergio Martinez in June 2014 to win the middleweight championship, he became the first from Puerto Rico to win championships in four weight classes.

“I never thought I was going to get what I got in boxing,” Cotto said.

Roach will be in Cotto’s corner for the sixth time. In Roach’s mind, boxing will be losing one of its best in recent times.

“He is one of the greatest fighters of his era, and I think you need to go no further,” Roach said.

Cotto has gotten here with talent, and intestinal fortitude. It’s the latter element he believes will be used by his people to bring a still-ravaged Puerto Rico back to life.

“I trust in the people of Puerto Rico,” Cotto said. “I know that we are going to overcome this situation and I know that we as Puerto Ricans can put Puerto Rico back together.”

That Cotto was able to leave there to focus on training for his final fight only adds to his reputation for having a strong emotional constitution. It wasn’t easy, said his right-hand man, Bryan Perez.

“We saw the destruction that Hurricane Maria caused on the island,” Perez said. “It was very stressful for moments and for days because we had to turn back our lives. There was no communication, there was no way to talk to each other. So we had to step back and leave a note, ‘I’m coming here at 4 o’clock to bring you water, to bring you gas.’ And it hurt us, you know?

“But the most important thing is Miguel took very, very good care of his family. He was on top of it. He didn’t leave Puerto Rico without having them OK. Emotionally, for them to be OK, he left with that in mind. So everybody there is good, so now we can leave and he can do his training and do his last fight in calm.”

It will be his last fight, too. Cotto promised. It’s about family.

“Now it’s time to be with them,” he said. “I missed a lot of good moments with them because of boxing, just trying to provide the best for them.”

Such a classy guy.

KOVALEV-SHABRANSKYY UPDATE

It was one thing for Sergey Kovalev to lose his light heavyweight titles on a controversial decision, like the one he lost to Andre Ward in November 2016 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was quite another to be stopped by Ward in the eighth round of their rematch this past June at Mandalay Bay.

But Kovalev, of Russia, vows he has put all that behind him as he heads into Saturday’s fight against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy of Ukraine. They will fight for one of the world titles left vacant by Ward, who recently retired, at Madison Square Garden (on HBO).

“Right now, I feel all bad things are gone from my mind,” Kovalev said. “I’m ready to be again a world champion and collect my belts if somebody will be ready to unify the title.”

Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) has a fine knockout ratio of 34 percent. But when Shabranskyy was asked if he has any fear of that power, he showed his sense of humor, and his confidence.

“Hey, bro, I have a wife and two kids; I’m scared of nobody,” he said, laughing.

Shabranskyy is 19-1 with 16 knockouts. But in his stiffest test, he was stopped by Sullivan Barrera in the seventh round in December at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio.

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